Grayscale quietly drops Cardano, Polkadot and Hedera ETF plans

Abstract:Grayscale Investments withdrew its proposed SEC registrations for Cardano, Polkadot, and Hedera ETFs late Friday, filing three requests within four minutes and stating it no longer intended to proceed. The moves were sponsor-initiated, not SEC rejections; none of the funds had become effective, and no securities or preliminary prospectuses were distributed. Grayscale offered no reason and could submit new registrations later. The filings had been made in late August and September 2025, following initial proposals earlier that year. The underlying tokens have suffered significant losses: ADA down over 41% year-to-date, DOT down 54%, and HBAR down 35%, with even steeper drawdowns since the filings.

Summary

  • Grayscale asked the SEC to withdraw proposed Cardano, Polkadot and Hedera ETF registrations in three filings submitted within four minutes late Friday.
  • The asset manager said it no longer intends to proceed with the offerings. None became effective, and no securities were issued or sold.
  • The withdrawals were sponsor-initiated, not SEC rejections. Grayscale gave no reason and could later submit new registrations.

Crypto asset manager Grayscale Investments has dropped plans for exchange-traded funds tied to Cardano‘s ADA, Polkadot’s DOT and Hederas HBAR, withdrawing three registration statements from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) late Friday.

Through three separate requests with the regulator, Grayscale told the SEC it “does not intend to proceed with the planned distribution” of the shares of each trust.

The withdrawals were initiated by Grayscale and werent SEC rejections.

Grayscales initial Cardano ETF proposal came in February 2025, and its Polkadot filing later that month. Grayscale filed the corresponding ADA and DOT registration statements on Aug. 29, followed by its HBAR registration on Sept. 9.

The proposed funds were designed as passive vehicles that would track the value of their respective tokens after fees and expenses. Grayscale said it had not sold securities or distributed preliminary prospectuses under the registrations.

All three tokens have been losing value over the last few months. Year-to-date, ADA is down more than 41%, while DOT lost 54% of its value and Hederas HBAR lost 35%.

Since late February 2025, when the filings came in, performance has been worse. ADA endured a 70% drawdown, while DOT saw an 80% downward move. HBAR also dropped more than 70%.

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